From Rags to Riches
by girlgamer123
Summary: Princess Julia has lived in Bowerstone Industrial since she was thrown from the castle at age five. She hardly goes by Julia anymore, for she has posed as William Smith for fourteen years. Now, she must become Julia again and lead a revolution to dethrone her tyrant brother Logan.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Fable**

Princess Julia sat in her room playing with her doll; her five year old mind oblivious to the world around her. She had hardly registered her mother's death a few months ago, while her brother, Logan who was fifteen years her senior, had broken down and sobbed like small child.

"Now Sarah," Julia whispered to her doll, "You must keep your back straight when you walk. You need to act like a proper princess. And for goodness sake, please straighten your tiara!" She reached atop her head and quickly straightened the one she wore, as it was slipping down her head, making it very difficult for her to play.

Julia had just placed Sarah on her stool and prepared her for a proper tea, when Sir Walter Beck stormed into the room, her new butler, Jasper, in tow. Walter had been Julia's stand in father, as her real father, the old hero king of Albion, died before she was born.

"Princess Julia! There you are! Please, come quickly!" Walter huffed, beckoning Julia out of the room. When she didn't move, Walter rushed over and scooped her up in his arms and running out of the room, Jasper following behind.

"No! Sarah! I want Sarah!" Julia cried, squirming to try and get out of Walter's arms.

"There's no time Julia! We need to get you out of here!" Walter said, tightening his grip of the young child. Julia buried her face into his shoulder, sobbing quietly at the loss of her favorite doll as the trio rushed down the corridors of Bowerstone Castle. Outside, the ominous sky poured rain on the windows, casting eerie shadows on the walls. The rain created a feeling of an impending threat. They ended in the deserted kitchens and Walter plopped the princess down into a chair. She looked up at him, her big green eyes filled with tears.

Jasper leaned down and gave her a handkerchief to dry her eyes. "There, there Princess, dry those eyes, everything will be alright," he reassured her as Walter rushed around the kitchen, muttering and sifting through drawers. Walter found what he was looking for and rushed back to the two and set a pair of scissors down on the table. He rushed back to the pantry and returned with a sack.

"Walter, do we really need to?" Jasper asked, still looking at Julia, stroking her long, wavy, dark red hair.

"Yes," Walter said with no emotion, picking up the scissors and moving to the back of the chair. Julia didn't realize what was happening until Walter began to snip her hair. She didn't move or make a sound, for she finally began to realize the danger that was hanging in the air. When Walter finished, Julia ran a hand up through her hair. It felt short, much like Elliot's did.

"Do I look like Elliot?" she whispered to Jasper, turning her eyes upon him.

"No, my dear Princess. You still look like you, just with different hair," Jasper responded, resuming stroking her now very short hair.

Walter busied himself with the sack. He pulled out a pair of trousers, socks, a shirt, jacket, hat and old shoes. He turned to Julia, holding the cloths to her, "Julia, I need you to put these on, quickly now!"

Walter and Jasper turned their backs to her as she changed. When she finished, they turned back around. A little boy with the eyes of the Princess Julia stared back at them.

"I must say Walter, you did rather well," Jasper said, looking down at the little boy that was Julia.

"Thank you old friend," Walter responded, clasping him on the shoulder. He leaned down to Julia, "now Julia, your name is now William Joseph Smith alright? I need you to run to Bowerstone Industrial. You'll be safer there. Do not come back to the castle until I come and get you when it's safe. Understand?"

Julia nodded. "Why do I have to leave?" she asked Walter.

"I can't tell you right now. I'll tell you when I get you. Now go!" and with that, he pushed the princess out into the cold dark rain of the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own fable**

_Fourteen Years Later_

The usual sounds of Bowerstone Industrial waking up aroused Julia from her slumber. She got off her mat she called a bed and stretched. Her small loft above the warehouse contained the bare minimum. She moved to the shard of mirror and looked at herself. Her hair had grown long enough that she could pull it back into a short ponytail with small wisps framing her thin face; she would need to cut it again soon. She touched the scar that ran down the left side of her face and the fresh bruises from yesterday's tousle as she splashed water on her face to wake herself up.

Julia removed her night shirt and pulled on her trousers and socks. She reached for the band and wrapped her chest before she put on her shirt. She looked down at herself; she was skinny, no curves at all. She looked much younger than nineteen and much less feminine than the normal woman her age. After one last look to make sure her hair was hidden by her hat, she pulled on her coat and left her loft.

The streets of Bowerstone industrial were in full swing when she entered the streets. It was still too early for drunks to be wandering the streets, but the prostitutes were moving to their desired alley ways, waiting for customers. Julia moved quickly, trying not to attract attention. She knew she needed to find breakfast, but she would need to find a new bakery to steel from. She was caught at her old target the day before and received a thorough beating by guards. She hadn't eaten the rest of the day, and her stomach growled loudly at the realization. This wasn't a new feeling for Julia. Ever since she was dumped on the streets at five, she hadn't had a full week where she received three square meals a day. The result was a very slight body, despite her height of 5 feet 10 inches. This also gave her a masculine look; both a blessing and a curse.

"Oye! Smithy! Where ya headed?" A voice behind Julia made her jump. She had just located her target, a small food stand with an apple sitting on the edge of the stand, an easy target. She turned around to see Oliver, another boy her age who lived on the streets. Oliver was a part of the Industry Gang; a band of homeless boys who ran together, causing a problem for the police ever since their creation. Oliver kept trying to get Julia to join ever since he joined, which was right after the two of them had been fired from the factory. The thug life was the wrong place for Julia, for it would be too easy for them to find out her real gender. In Bowerstone Industrial, it was dangerous for a young, single woman to roam the streets.

"Can I help ye Oliver?" she sighed, annoyed at his timing.

"Yeah actually, Boss sent me 'cause he needs money. And I an't good at pickin pockets," Oliver responded, eyeing her.

Julia saw his look and realized his intentions. "Oh no, Oliver, I'ma tryn ta break that 'abit," she said, backing away from him.

"Right," he didn't buy it, and moved closer to her. "I ju' saw ye goin for that apple there. Ya can' lie ta me Willy. Now c'mon! It'll be easier than the last time an' it'll go as planned! I swears it!"

She paused, _I could probably get some extra for meself, then I can buy food like a respectable person. _"Deal." They shook and ran off down the alley.

"It's just down 'ere." Oliver pointed, "It's the bard o'er there. 'e's been raken in some coins and the boss thinks 'e needs to pay up for playin on our turf." The bard had a box in front of him, overflowing with money. He was good, and Julia felt bad for stealing from him. "Now," Oliver's voice jogged her from her thoughts. "I'm gonna provide the distraction, and you're gonna grab the box. Got it?"

"Yup, let's jus' get it o'er with," Julia responded.

Oliver went first and struck conversation with the bard. Julia crept behind them, out of sight and began to reach for the box. Her fingers almost were there when she heard a voice whisper in her ear, "is that your money lad?" Oliver bolted, knowing that they had been caught by the look on Julia's face.

The bard looked down at Julia and yelled, "Oi! What d'ya think you're doing?"

Before Julia could follow though, a hand gripped her collar, holding her there. "You're going to come with me, unless you want me to call the guards," it said, dragging her away.

"Ge'roff me!" Julia struggled against the hand, but he was strong and she hadn't eaten in a while, so she lacked strength. She kept fighting as the hand kept dragging her away towards a pub. _Oh God, _she thought, _he's gonna drag me in the alley and kill me. I swear I'll rat Oliver out an' 'e'll burn in hell with me! _

Before they reached the pub however, the hand whipped her around so she was looking into the eyes of an old man. He was plump, with caring deep blue eyes. He didn't look like he was going to kill her. There was something about him that reminded her of something from long ago, almost as if from a dream.

"Now," the old man said, "I need you to come into the pub with me quietly; do not cause a scene alright?"

"An' if I refuse ya ol' man?" Julia said, crossing her arms in front of her chest, not moving.

"Then I'll have to do it by force, which I don't want to do," he responded. He sighed, "please; let's just be civil with this alright?"

"Well, since ya said please, an' I can' say I 'ear that all too often," Julia said, storming into the pub, the old man hurrying behind her.

Julia entered the warmth of the pub and began to head for a table in the corner, but the old man touched her shoulder, "I actually got a private room, if you don't mind." Julia jerked her shoulder out from his grip and moved to the room off to the side.

She entered the room and saw another old man sitting at the table, holding un-touched ale. The other man was dressed in a nice blue suit. He looked like what Julia imagined a server for an upper class family would have. _What're they called again? Oh righ'! Butler. _He looked up when she walked in and stood up, holding a hand to his heart in disbelief. She stood, frozen in the room, while the fat man closed the door and stood by the butler.

"She's so grown up!" the second man breathed to the first.

"She looks just like her father, but she has her mother's lips," the other man whispered.

"Wha's goin on?" Julia asked finally. _How do they know I'ma lass?_

The first one stepped forward, the one who had caught her in the square, "It's good to see you again Princess Julia. Remember me? It's Sir Walter Beck. And it's time for you to claim your rightful place on the throne. This land needs a revolution. And you are going to lead it."


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Fable**

Julia could only stare, her mouth slightly open. She had been Will for fourteen years, and suddenly these old men were telling her she was a princess. She also hadn't been called Julia for fourteen years as well.

"You two're an't right in the 'ead. I'm no princess. I an't a girl. I dunno who yous mistaken me with, but I'm not the one you lookin for. I know plenty'o lasses who'll be your princess for ya though," Julia turned to leave, but Sir Walter Beck's hand grabbed her shoulder and stopped her.

"Julia, you don't have to put on this act for us. We know it's you. I must say though that you play the part very well. Please, just hear us out. Jasper and I think you're old enough now to know the story of how you became the person you are right now," Sir Walter Beck pleaded. "I'll buy you an ale or two." At the word 'ale' Julia turned and walked over to the table, sitting down and grabbing the un-touched ale, taking a large swig.

"You sure have changed I must admit," the other man, Jasper, muttered, taking a seat, Sir Beck taking the other. "Princess Julia, you may remove your hat if you would like; this story is rather long and I feel that you might be more comfortable this way," Jasper reached for her hand. Julia moved it away from him and removed her hat, letting her hair down.

"Now, I'm sure you have a lot of questions," Sir Beck began. "But how about I start at the beginning?"

"Sounds fine ta me I guess…" Julia trailed off, looking at her ale.

Sir Beck settled back into his chair, "When your mother died and your brother Logan took the throne, he lost his mind. He had already begun to change after his trip to Aurora, but he really lost it after your mother's death.

"Anyway, a few nights before we sent you away, I heard that Logan was going to send you away to have you killed. You reminded him too much of your father, and it drove him mad. The people loved your father, but hated Logan. The people had heard of your brother's possible madness, and he thought that when you grew up, the people would over throw him and put you in his place, and he wants all the power."

"Isn't tha' wha' you jus' told me I'm gonna do? So weren't Logan's fears righ'?" Julia cut in.

Sir Beck paused in thought, "Yes I guess you're right. Well, We would rather you didn't die though. Which brings us back to the story. So I devised a plan to send you away, completely changing you, making Logan think his plan had succeeded, but instead of having your death on his hands, it looked as if you had been kidnapped and killed. Thus you became William, a poor orphan boy living on the streets of Bowerstone Industrial. Hide you right under Logan's nose. After he discovered you were missing, he still wanted a search party to go after you, to confirm your death. It wasn't until five years later that he would call off the search party, but he didn't declare you dead until two years after. But we wanted to wait until he had almost forgotten you, which is now.

"Which brings us to the present. We need you, Julia. You know what Logan has done; you've experienced it first-hand. Lead the revolution. Be the hero your father was and what you were born to become." Sir Beck finished and looked at Julia, waiting for a response.

She sat thinking for a few moments. "'ang on," she finally said. "It migh' be…" she paused. "Nope. You both are crazy loonies. I'm a girl, yup, but tha don't mean I'm a frilly princess. I an't a 'ero at all. I'm jus a street rat tha no one wants." She grabbed her hat and stood to leave, "Thanks kind sirs for the ale, but 'fraid I mus be goin now."

"Wait!" Jasper called. "We'll let you go, but here's one more thing I want to test." Julia turned around and looked at him. He reached into his bag and pulled out a cloth wrapped circle. He unwrapped it and Julia saw a blue and gold circle, larger than the two palms of her hand.

"Wha's that?" she asked, creeping towards it to get a better look. It felt like it was calling to her, begging for her to pick it up.

"This is the guild seal. It will only be awoken by a hero's touch. Here," Jasper said, holding it out to her. "If it reacts to your touch, then you are the hero we need; and if it doesn't, then we'll let you go and you will never hear from us again."

"Alrigh' I'll do what you says. Also, if nothin happens, then you still pay for me ale to righ?" Julia asked.

"Yes, a soldier's promise," Sir Beck said, placing a hand over his heart.

Julia shrugged and grabbed the seal. Nothing happened for a few moments. She was about to set down the seal and about to leave, but a bright light shot towards her and everything went black.

O_-

Walter had covered his eyes when the light filled the room. When he uncovered his eyes he noticed that both Julia and the seal were gone.

"I knew it!" He punched the air and smiled at Jasper, who still covered his own eyes. "Jasper old boy! It worked! She's the hero!" he exclaimed, clasping him on the shoulder. The revolution was on. Walter had already been able to get support of the dwellers and the mercenaries by Brightwall, but now Julia would have to do the rest.

"Well, Julia sure has changed. I hardly recognize her!" Jasper spoke Walter's thoughts.

Julia really had changed a lot. Granted she was only five, but still, it amazed Walter on how well she was able to adapt to the culture that she was dropped into. Julia played the part well. She significantly slouched in her chair, her body and face showed a lack of a good meal, and she looked like she had been in a few fights, with the scar and bruises covering her face. He was sure there were more, but she hid them with her clothes. She looked and acted just like one of the boys from Bowerstone Industrial; the only way Walter had been able to tell that Julia was Julia by her eyes. They were then same as her father, but they had certain hardness to them, as if she had grown up too quickly, which Walter figured he had a part in. He couldn't believe that Julia was going to steel money from an innocent man. By her strategy, Walter noticed, it was not the first time she had stolen something.

Putting Julia out on the streets those many years ago had been one of his biggest regrets and wondered when, and if, he would see her again. "She's still the same. Granted it's hidden under her speech and stature. We'll find the Hero Julia. She's in there somewhere," Walter reassured Jasper and relaxed in his chair and waited for Julia to return.


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Fable**

Julia awoke lying on a small strip of land in a lake. She sat up and looked around. Everything was covered in a fog so she couldn't see more than ten feet in front of her.

"Where am I?" she muttered, standing up and brushing off grass on her shirt.

"You are on the Road to Rule, one that all heroes must take," Julia whipped around and located the source of the voice as a woman clothed in a red robe, her hood covering her eyes.

"An you're…?" Julia asked.

"I am Teresa, Princess Julia," Teresa said, stepping closer to Julia.

"Why do people keep calln' me tha? I an't no princess, an I an't a 'ero neither, so don ask!" Julia responded angrily. _Why do people keep asking me this? I'm jus a nobody street rat tha no one wants._

"Ah, my child but you are," Teresa said. She reached for Julia, "Come, walk with me, I will show you who you are and what you need to become," she beckoned for Julia to follow. Julia hesitated, then reluctantly followed. They walked a few steps silently, and Teresa stopped and pointed to the lake. "Watch."

"I don see nothing. What're you playin at?" Julia asked after a second, not seeing anything.

"Patience," Teresa said calmly. Soon enough, the fog began to move and formed figures. She saw a grand throne room, two people were sitting in the thrones. "There, see?"

Julia looked at them and pointed, "are those…"

"Your mother and father, yes." Teresa finished.

"Me mam and pap," Julia whispered. She had always wondered about them when she was younger. When she grew up though, she just accepted the fact that they didn't want her and she went on with her life. Her survival was more important than the little things like parents.

Your father was the old hero of Albion." Teresa continued. Julia looked closer and saw that she looked like the King, not so much the queen, but she looked very familiar, as if Julia had last seen her in a dream. "Your father died before you were born, and your mother followed five years later. Her death signaled the beginning of the life you know now." The scene shifted; Julia saw a young man now sitting on the throne. He had black hair and looked more like the queen, Julia's mother. "There you see your brother, the King Logan. He rose to King too young. He was not ready. He didn't fully recover from his trip to Aurora, and Walter explained what the result of this was." A little girl wearing a tiara and carrying a doll rushed into the room.

"Is tha…" Julia began.

"Yes, Julia, that is you at five. You were so young," Teresa said. Young Julia tried to say something, but Logan stood up and began to shout, causing young Julia to run from the room, crying. "That night, Walter and Jasper took you from this place, releasing you into the world. This action saved your life."

"Yeah, tha's what Walter said. But it's still hard to forgive 'im. It's all happenin so quick," Julia said, wiping her eyes quickly. "I can' believe… It's jus, after all these years. The only thing I 'member from tha night was Sir Beck-"

"Walter," Teresa corrected.

"Walter, telling me my new name, William. Tha's who I've been for the past fourteen years," Julia finished.

"Well, now you know the truth. And you must take your rightful place at the throne, Logan must be stopped. Be the hero your father was and Logan will never be," Teresa finished and the images faded.

"I don know how ta be a hero though! Look at me!" Julia stepped back and gestured to herself. "I don even know how ta speak right! No one's gonna wan a queen who doesn't know how ta talk!"

"That can be fixed easily," Teresa said calmly. Julia was about to continue when Teresa reached down and pick up a package and opened it. There was a sword, pistol, and a glove that was glowing slightly. "These will help you with leading the revolution. These were your father's; the tools of a hero. Take them, and people will bow to you, not your brother. Lead your people."

"I don know how ta fight!" Julia protested, backing away from the weapons.

"Your hero quality will give you the skills you need without training." Teresa picked up the glove, "the glove is magic. You will be able to harness the energy and magic in you from your hero qualities and project them as fire, water, electricity, and more." Next she picked up the sword, "the hero sword will never break, and the more you use it, the more powerful and sharp it will be." Lastly she picked up the pistol, "the more trust you have in this pistol, the more often it will find its mark." Teresa handed the weapons to Julia, who took them reluctantly. "Become the hero you were born to be." And with that, Teresa, the island, and Julia, faded away.

The next moment, Julia found herself back in the pub with Jasper and Walter looking at her. She looked down and saw the weapons in her hands and realized that what she had just been through was not a dream. She was a princess, and not just a princess, but a hero. She realized that she needed to lead her people. She had witnessed Logan's cruelty first-hand, and it was time for her to take her place at the throne and take her land to greatness. The time for William was over, Julia's time had come.

"So? How do you feel?" Walter asked quietly, looking at Julia as if she was ill.

"Fine. I'm ready. When do we leave?" Julia asked, looking at Walter.

Walter grinned and looked at her, "Now. The revolution begins!"


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Fable**

"'Ow much longer till we're there Walter?" Julia complained. She and Walter were running through Mourningwood, for Walter had said that they would find more allies there. Jasper had gone back to the castle to keep an eye on things there. He would send word if Logan suspected anything.

"Not far. I know I'm ready for a soft bed and a bowl of hot soup. You?" Walter asked without stopping.

Julia shrugged. She had seen her first battle in the mines of the cave they had just left. She fought what must have been more than a hundred hobbs. She had heard stories about them, and she learned that they were more disgusting than the stories described. She was covered in dirt, grim, and blood. Some of the blood was hers; she was still getting used to the sword.

"I must admit Julia, you fight very well for someone who has never held a sword, but your magic still needs some work," Walter joked.

"I an't never fought before!" She said defensively.

"I was kidding, dear!" Walter responded. "Oh! Here we are! Mourningwood Fort! I don't want to go into a battle without them. I know the Major—"

"Halt!" They looked up at the top of the gate they were standing in front of to see a guard staring down at them. "Be you men or be you hollowmen?" He asked, pointing his gun at them.

"Now there! How do you now recognize me? I admit I've put on a few pounds but come on! Open the bloody gate!" Walter yelled back.

"Oh sorry Walter! Didn't recognize you! I'll tell Major Swift you're here. Open the Gate!" The soldier called back.

"No respect," Walter muttered to Julia, who snickered quietly as the gates opened.

They walked into the fort and Julia first noticed how sad all the men looked. A few were pilling dirt on graves, some were cleaning guns and swords, and some were playing cards. A dark bearded man walked up to Walter and gave him a big hug.

"Good to see you again Walter!" He said.

"You too Swifty!" Walter responded. He looked around, "hey, where's that devil—"

"—ishly handsome Captain Benjamin Finn?" another voice came in. "Right here Wally! Good to see you!" the two shook hands. Ben was tall, muscular, and had shaggy blond hair. His eyes though were what drew Julia in. His eyes were the same color as the ocean on a clear day; a deep beautiful blue.

"What idiot put you as a captain, Finn?" Walter said, laughing.

"This idiot!" Finn laughed, putting an arm around Swift. He realized Julia and looked right at her, then back at Walter. "Who's this lass, Walter? A little young for you don't you think?" He asked.

"I an't involved with 'im!" Julia protested when she realized what Finn meant.

"Wow! A temper; I like you," Finn looked surprised, then reached a hand out to Julia, who took it reluctantly.

"This," Walter began dramatically, pointing to Julia, "is the Princess Julia." Walter looked at Swift, paying no mind to Finn. As soon as Walter said who Julia said, both Swift and Finn looked right at her with an expression of pure shock on their faces.

"The…" Swift stumbled.

"I thought she was supposed to be dead!" Finn exclaimed, looking at Julia as though she was a ghost, which they probably thought she was. He reached out to touch her again, as if the first time he touched her hadn't happened.

"Do I look dead to ya?" Julia asked angrily, swatting Finn's hand away.

"I'll explain everything. Swift?" Walter said, gesturing to the major, they began to turn and walk away, when Walter turned around and looked at Finn, "I'm placing the princess in your hands, Finn. She's yours for tonight, but please, keep her status on the down low. I still want an element of surprise for the revolution." And with that, Walter and Swift walked off.

"Follow me Miss…" Finn trailed off, gesturing for Julia to follow.

"Julia. You can call me Julia," Julia responded, following him through the fort.

"So, tell me, Julia," Finn continued. "How did you stay hidden all these years? I heard you were kidnapped fourteen years ago. How old are you now?"

"I 'ave superb 'idding skills. And I'm nineteen," she answered, not sure if she could trust the captain. He looked like the high class men that ran around industrial trying to find whores or find an adventure that was just outside their door.

Finn laughed, "right. And you just use that speech to try and hide the fact that you've been hiding in some tropical retreat for that long. I must admit, you play the part well."

"Sure, whatever ya say Mr. Finn," Julia said, scowling. _Yep_, she decided, _high class idiot._

"If I get to call you Julia, then I want you to call me Ben, alright? No formalities. Amongst the men, the only one who really goes by their formal name is technically Swift, but no one really follows that."

"Righ' go' it Mr. Finn."

Finn shrugged and stopped, Julia almost running into him. "Here we are, the mortar. I think you'll do just fine here." She hadn't even noticed that they were at the top of the wall, facing the eerie woods, a layer of mist shrouding everything. "Your job is to kill any hollow men you see coming for the gate for as long as you can. Usually we can only hold then off for a few moments before they breech us, but I think you might be able to beat the record. What do you think?" When Julia didn't respond, he continued, "This here's Private Jammy. He's the jammiest soldier in the company." Finn gestured to the soldier wrapped in bandages.

"Hello there Miss! Welcome to the mortar! We're gonna have some fun tonight!" Jammy said, gesturing to it. "Now, it's pretty simple…"

"Well, I'll leave you two to it; let me know when it starts!" Julia whipped her head around to see Finn leave. She took a deep breath and listened to Jammy tell her how to work the mortar.

O_-

As Ben descended back from the wall, he thought about Julia. He had seen many girls in his day, even ones that were just like her, without the princess part of course. _How did she hide all those years? Surely she just relaxed in paradise. But then again, she doesn't look like she's had it easy for her whole life. _Her tough exterior really confused him. He wondered how she got the scar; the bruises were most likely from her traveling just to get to the fort. Her eyes drew him in. They were such a deep green, but they reflected hardness, as though they had seen much in nineteen years of life. He wondered if his eyes reflected his hardships too.

He was soon jogged from his thoughts with the sudden sound of wood being ripped from the boarded windows followed with a shout of "Hollow men!" Ben drew his sword, _show time._


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own Fable**

Ben Finn slashed and hacked at what must have been fifty hollowmen. They came from all directions, and there seemed to be no end to them. He slowly began to feel himself begin to tire. He looked over to see Julia and Walter fighting side by side. Julia seemed to be holding her own fairly well, with only a small amount of assistance from Walter. Swift was doing just fine, as usual, and only a few men were falling tonight. Suddenly a large explosion came from behind. He turned his head just in time to see Jammy fall.

"NO!" Ben yelled and rushed over to him. Ben knew he was dead, and his fire was renewed and he began to fight with more ferocity. Almost as quick as it began, all the hollowmen were dead, and the soldiers cheered.

"We did it!" Walter cried. Ben, however, did not join in with the cheering. He looked over at Julia to see she was not cheering as well, their eyes met, and they both knew the same thing: it wasn't over yet.

A large rumble filled the fort. The men stopped and looked to the graves, one last Hollowman was emerging; it was Lieutenant Simmons, who had just passed.

"Lieutenant! I gave you specific orders to stay dead!" Swift yelled.

"Doesn't anyone follow orders anymore?" Ben asked, just as the Lieutenant gave a great shout, and everything went black.

O_-

Julia looked around to see everyone was lying on the ground, as if in a sort of sleep. She was the only one left standing.

"Alrigh' one more," she muttered to herself, drawing her sword. "C'm on then you!" and she charged.

The hollowman was a fierce fighter. Not only did he have two swords for hands, but he also was able to call more hollowmen from the ground. As she was fighting, she saw a flash of light emerge from his mouth, she quickly rolled out of the way just in time, for a great bolt of lightning shot from his mouth and left a nice burned hole where she was just a moment ago.

Julia tried to get closer to the hollowman with her sword, but his sword hands were proving to be a great nuisance. She knew that those would have to go first before she would have any chance of winning the battle. She quickly rolled behind a wall to catch her breath and to try and quickly come up with a plan. She tried shooting a few bolts of lightning at the deceased lieutenant, but to now avail. It was just too quick for her.

"I must say that death really has not affected your flightn' skills Lieutenant!" She yelped as another bolt of lightning caused her to leave her wall. The smell of burning cloth hit her nose and she realized that one wrong move could cost her her own life.

"You little-" she began, but her words were cut short again by a swing of the sword hands.

A few more rolls and Julia found herself against the wall, the hollowman a few feet away from her. She felt out of options and was about to accept her fate, when she noticed her pistol. She fired a shot and promptly missed the hollowman by a long shot. _What was it Teresa said about the pistol? Oh ya! Have faith and it will always find its mark. I dunno what a pistol will know about faith, but I seem to be outa options. _Julia took a deep breath and fired. The hollowman let out a loud screech as a sword hand fell to the ground.

"Now it's a fair fight ya bastard!" Julia cried, drawing her sword and charging.

After more dodging, rolling, slashing, and a few choice curse words, the Lieutenant exploded in a burst of green dust, covering Julia in it.

"Aghh, tha's jus' lovely," she exclaimed, trying to dust herself off as the rest of the men began to wake up.

"What happened?" Finn asked, rubbing the dirt off the side of his face.

"I defeated your disobedient soldier Major," Julia said tiredly, sheathing her sword. "You migh' need ta reinstate some sort of order though. Keep your dead soldiers from comin back."

"Nice job, Julia!" I knew you could do it! I was actually awake the whole time, just waiting to see if you would need help, turns out you didn't need it!" Walter said, coming over and clapping her on the back.

"I think this deserves some sort of celebration! Ale on me!" Swift said happily, running over to the mugs. The soldiers cheered and thanked Swift when he gave them their mugs.

"To Julia! The prin-" Swift began.

"To Julia!" Walter exclaimed hurriedly, raising his glass, the rest of the soldiers followed and drank deeply.

The soldiers began to sing and play games in celebration. Finn walked over to Julia, who had found somewhere quiet and was nursing her own ale.

"I see you were able to clean off most of the dead man dust. That stuff's fairly nasty right?" He asked, sitting down beside her and resting his head against the wall. She nodded and drank more ale. "Be careful, I don't think your little body can handle too much of that stuff."

"I can drink more than you think, Captain," she responded, not looking at him.

"Well, it's been proven the smaller you are, the less you can drink, though. Here, let me show you," he sat up and began to write in the dirt with a stick. "See, this here? What does it say?" Julia just shrugged. "What?" Finn asked, a smirk on his face, "did they not teach you how to read in finishing school?"

A red hot anger filled her chest, as she stood up quickly and glared down at him, "No, Mr. Finn, they do not teach you tha' in finishin school. An' 'ow do I know tha? Cause I neve' went! I can't read worth a damn!" and she stormed off, leaving Finn sitting there, wondering what he did wrong.


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Fable**

_Stupid, nice going Finn. Could you have been anymore insensitive? _Ben wanted to pound his head into the wall and throw his body out for the hollowmen to feast on when night fell. Walter had seen Julia storm off across the fort, and when Ben showed up and asked about Julia, Walter had blamed Ben right away that he was the cause of her anger.

"Wow, I had no idea," Ben breathed after Walter finished the story.

"I don't know the exact details about what happened while Julia was actually in Industrial, but maybe she'll tell you at some point," Walter said.

"Thank you, for telling me. I don't think though that she'll be telling me anytime soon though," Ben responded, looking down into his mug of ale.

"Why? Come on Ben, you have such a way with the lasses," Swift responded, laughing.

"She doesn't know how to read, and I learned in the most untactful way of all time. Now I look like the most arrogant prick of all time!" Ben said, throwing his arms up in the air.

"She doesn't? Can she write?" Swift leaned forward on the table, intrigued. "How can we have a queen who can't read or write?"

"It's not really the first thing you're taught where she was. That's one of Logan's tactics. Keep the people ignorant, keep people from rebelling. And the largest population in is Bowerstone Industrial. If you keep the largest population, reduce the risk of rebellion even more. Plus Julia wasn't in the castle long enough for Jasper or a tutor to teach her how," Walter explained.

"Makes sense. Logan's a messed up man, that's for sure," Ben said, nodding in agreement.

"Speaking of which, where is Julia?" Walter asked, looking around.

"Righ' 'ere," a voice said, making them all jump. Ben turned around to see Julia standing right behind them, her eyes were slightly pink.

"We were just talking about you. Have a seat, my dear, you look dead on your feet," Swift said, patting the chair next to him and Ben. Julia sat down, scooting it closer to Swift in such a way that no one would notice except Ben.

"So, you really want to bring down your brother?" Swift asked seriously, looking at Julia.

"Yes. 'e needs to be stopped. I've seen what 'e's done. And an't none of it good," Julia responded, looking at Swift in the eye.

"Alright, well, you have the support of the guard. But you must promise me something, dear," Swift continued.

"Anythin!" Julia responded, excitedly.

"You must promise to restore the old guard. Bring honor back into this uniform," Swift said, pulling out a piece of paper.

"And a pay rise! That'd be nice!" Ben added in, trying to lighten the mood.

"Shut up Ben," Walter sighed.

"I promise," Julia said, ignoring Ben.

"Alight, then I need you to sign," Swift pushed the paper and gave her a pen. For a while she just looked at the pen in the flat of her palm.

She knew she couldn't sign the paper. She would never be able to sign her promise. How could she bring down Logan if she couldn't even sign her own name? Tears began to prick her eyes, _Street face, Julia, don't let 'em see you cry now, _she told herself, and her eyes quickly dried. She looked over at Walter, and he grabbed a stray twig on the table and held it like a pen. Julia copied his position, giving him a look of thanks. She scribbled a line, much like she had seen the guards sign when they would charge someone with a crime. She pushed the paper back to Swift, and he looked at it, squinting his eyes slightly to read it.

"Interesting signature, but it's not a problem. I hope you keep your promise," Swift said, folding up the paper and placing it in the inside pocket of his coat. "I think, on that note, why don't we all have a good nap, and then we will discuss our next move. Julia, you are welcome to my room, it is much quieter and comfortable, plus, Walter and I have some things we need to discuss. Would you like someone to run a bath for you? You still have some hollowman dust on your face and hands."

"Oh, Major, I could never-" Julia began, but Swift gave her a look that told her that he wasn't about to change his mind. "Thank you Sir, thank you. An' I think a bath would be nice."

"Alright," Swift beckoned over a soldier and said, "run Julia a bath in my room, and afterwards, leave right away. You can drain it after she wakes up, not a moment sooner. Got it?" the soldier nodded and ran off. Swift looked back at her, "All set my dear? Have a good rest; you earned it." Julia nodded and left.

"Julia! Wait up!" she heard Finn yell after her and she stopped, but didn't turn around.

"What d'you wan?" she asked, still not looking at him.

"Hello to you too. I just wanted to apologize for assuming that you had it easy," she heard Finn say. She looked up at him. When she didn't say anything, Finn must have taken it as permission to continue, "and I saw how you signed the paper just now. If you want, I can show you how you could actually write your name." He stiffened, as if she might hit him.

"I'd like that. Thanks," she responded. "Ben," she added after a pause.

He looked at her, his face a mix of surprise and pleasure, "yeah, it's nothing really. So I think we should rest first. Then after?"

"Yeah!" she responded.

"Meet me at the table we were just at okay?" Ben asked, beginning to walk away.

"Sure, thanks!" Julia said, turning and entered the tent, smiling to herself.


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own Fable. **

Julia awoke more rested than she had ever felt in her life. The Major's bed was soft; much softer than she had ever had in her life. And if this was a run-down fort bed, she wondered what a palace bed would feel like. The warm bath was an added bonus. She couldn't remember the last time she had a hot bath; she figured it was when she lived in the palace.

Julia got out of the bed and stretched. She pulled on her boots and walked out to find that the sun was still high in the sky. She breathed a sigh of relief, for that meant that no hollowmen would be coming out for a while. She went over to the table that Ben said he would meet her at to find that he was not there. She paused and looked around, to see if he was coming. When she didn't spot him, she asked a soldier passing by where he was. The soldier wordlessly pointed to a tent off in the corner. Julia followed his gaze and walked over, poking her head inside.

Ben was lying on a cot, sound asleep and snoring softly. She crept in and noticed he was on his side, and he wasn't wearing a shirt. She gazed at his chest for a moment, marveling at the definition of his chest. Julia moved her eyes up to his face and noticed how much younger he looked when he slept. All the cockiness was gone as were the worry lines that were usually on his forehead. After staring at him for a few more minutes, she decided that she should wake him up.

"Ben," she whispered, poking his shoulder. When he groaned and rolled over, she jabbed him in the back, right where a pressure point was, and said loudly, "Oi! Ge' up ya lazy bum!"

He yelped and flipped over, his eyes snapped open, "Shit! Don't you know to never wake a sleeping man?"

She shrugged, "I walked in an' saw ye sleepin, and I've been waitin a long time for ya."

"So you were watching me sleep?" Ben smirked.

"No!" she exclaimed. She noticed he was still smirking and added as she stood up, "don' flatter yerself."

Ben got up and pulled on his shirt, asking, "by the way, what did you jab on my back? It still hurts."

"Pressure point," Julia responded simply.

"And you about these…?" he asked, now pulling on his boots and jacket.

"The guards use 'em on the people they arrest. It prevents 'em from runnin. They used it on me a coupla times, and I used 'em a few times meself," Julia answered.

"I see; I'll have to take note of these. It might come in handy in battle. Are there others?" Ben pressed, as he left the tent, Julia following.

"Yup. There's a whole lota 'em. Hands, feet, back, thighs, and more."

"Alright, well, here we are, have a seat my pupil," Ben put a few pieces of paper along with two pens on the table and sat down next to Julia. "Now, you know how to hold a pen, can I see?" Julia picked up the pen and held it like she did earlier. Ben nodded, "good. Now do you know your full name?"

Julia shook her head, "No. I wen' by William Joseph Smith back in Industrial. I dunno my real last name."

"Alright not a problem, we'll just use Smith for the moment; especially because you're trying to keep on the down low until later." Ben picked up a pen and pulled a piece of paper closer to him, "Alright, now watch me," and he wrote _Julia Smith_ slowly so Julia could see exactly how he wrote her name. He pushed the paper towards Julia, "Now you try." She pulled the paper closer and slowly began to copy Ben's writing. It didn't come out nearly as perfect as his. There were ink splotches on every other letter, and she almost wrote the H the wrong way, so she tried to correct herself, thus it looked like an M. "Okay, that wasn't all that bad for the first time. It will take time," Ben reassured her.

"That really says my name? Just a bunch of scribbles?" Julia asked in wonder, not feeling upset that her first attempt was almost illegible.

"I know, it's crazy. To think that we base almost all our communication just by a bunch of scribbles," Ben said. "Try again. And this time, don't push so hard on the paper. Also, try to not think so much, just let your hand flow across the page."

Julia tried again and it came out much more legible and with less splotches, "like that?"

"Yes! Much better Julia. Now, I want you to try and write your name at least ten times a day. More if you want, but let's just start with ten."

"Thank you Ben. May be next time too you could teach me 'ow to read and write more scribbles," she said, looking up at him hopefully.

"Sure, as long as you teach me about pressure points."

"If ya wan" Julia said, standing up and stretching. Ben stood up as well just as Walter walked over. "Walter look wha' Ben taught me!" Julia exclaimed excitedly, showing him the paper.

"Wow, Julia. Is Ben teaching you this?" Walter asked, looking at the paper.

"Yeah! I 'ave never been more thankful!" Julia continued, looking back at Ben, feeling butterflies in her stomach.

"I'm glad, dear. Not follow me." They left, Ben following. "Now," Walter continued, "we need to get going before it gets too dark. We need to get to Bowerstone before nightfall."

"We're goin' back to Bowerstone?" Julia stopped.

"We need the help of the resistance. I don't want to go into a fight without their leader," Walter continued, not stopping.

"But do we 'aveta?" Julia puffed, trying to catch up with Walter.

"Yes. Don't worry, you won't be going back as William, but as Julia Smith. Smith is a common last name, no one will know who you are," Walter stopped when they reached the gate. He turned to Major Swift, "I'll send word when we need you. Thanks for everything Swifty." Walter turned to Ben, "I guess I should thank you too," they shook hands.

Julia turned to Ben, she started to say something when Ben pulled her into a tight hug, "See you soon Princess," he whispered in her ear, let her go, and her and Walter ran off into the setting sun.

**Author's note: I usually don't like these, but I just wanted to thank the one review I have! It really made my day and I couldn't stop smiling for about half an hour. It's cool to know that someone really likes the story. So if anyone else feels like reviewing, go for it! I** **appreciate them!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own Fable**

"I just love how much time we are spending in sewers and caves, don't you?" Walter grumbled as the pair ran through the sewers of Bowerstone Industrial.

"Not anything new," Julia shrugged, not fazed by the smell while Walter gagged. They reached the streets of Industrial right as the sun moved behind the horizon.

"So did you ever meet the resistance in your time living here? Have you heard of it?" Walter asked as they hurried through the streets, keeping their heads low.

"O'course I heard of 'em. Can' say I've met 'em 'owever," Julia responded quietly. She moved slightly closer to Walter as they ran through the ally. She knew this area; it was where she received her long face scar.

"Oh, please! Come and 'elp me! Me fiancée's gone missin!" The pair turned around to see a young woman come running up to them. They stopped so she could catch up. "Please, Nigel Ferret's kidnapped me fiancée! Will one of you 'elp me?" she asked between puffs of air.

Walter turned to Julia, "you go with her, I'll try and find the entrance." He leaned close so the woman couldn't hear him, "this is a perfect opportunity to earn more followers." He stood up and spoke aloud, "see you later," and Walter left Julia with the woman.

"You'll 'elp?" the woman asked hopefully. When Julia nodded, the woman whooped and hugged her, "Oh thank ye! I'm Linda by th' way." Linda turned around and ran off. Julia took it as a symbol to follow her and they ran off into the dark alleys.

O_-

"Get down there ya scum!" the thug shoved Elliot harder, moving him closer and closer to the edge.

"No! Please don't send me down there! Who knows what will be at the bottom!" Elliot fought back against their strong grip.

"Not our problem," the thug shrugged and pushed Elliot down the hole.

Elliot screamed until he hit water. The rush of bubbles filled his vision as he tried to swim towards the surface. His face broke the surface and he gasped and sputtered, trying to rid water from his lungs. He quickly swam to the small plot of dirt a few feet away. He pulled himself up and curled his legs up to his chest and brought his head to his knees.

"I'm sorry Linda," he whispered, and he waited.

Elliot guessed he had fallen asleep, for he woke to the sounds of curses, swords clashing, and gun fire. He perked, up, but remained quiet. _Oh God, _he thought, _here they come. Linda tried to get me and now she's dead and they're going to kill me too!_ Suddenly it all ceased. He heard unintelligible conversation before a great splash drew his attention to the pool. A female head popped up, and Elliot quickly stood up.

"Who are you?" he asked as she swam to shore. She was very pretty, her green eyes looking familiar, but the scar threw him off. She was tall, her dark red hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. She had a pistol strapped to her leg and a sword on her back. She even had a glove on her hand, and Elliot thought he saw it glowing slightly. She looked like one of the adventurers he had read about in his childhood books. "Do I know you?" he asked.

"Don' think so," she said bluntly. "We need to get you back to Linda."

"Linda?" he asked, not remembering who she was, he was still trying to figure out who she was. "Oh right! Linda." Elliot scrutinized the girl closer; she looked about the same age as he. "Are you sure we've never met before?"

She shook her head, "no. Did ya grow up in Industrial?"

"No. I grew up in Bowerstone Castle. I'm Elliot." Suddenly an idea dawned upon him, "did you?"

"No." she said too quickly.

Suddenly he remembered where he had seen eyes like hers, "oh my God! Julia is that you?"

She suddenly walked up to him and looked him straight in the eye, "don't ya dare tell a soul who I really am. People know me as Julia Smith, and tha's it."

"Wow, you've sure changed. Then again, everyone thought you were dead for the past fourteen years."

"Righ, well, it's gonna stay that way until I says so. Got it?" she jabbed his chest and he winced.

"Got it." Elliot said.

"Alrigh', cm'on," she grasped his hand and they made their way back to the surface.

When they reached the entrance to the cellar where Linda was, Elliot stopped and looked at Julia. He took in her new appearance and personality and realized he wanted to be with her forever, his feelings for five year old Julia had not changed in the past fourteen years. "Julia, wait, before we go back, I want you to know that I want you. I've loved you forever. It might be silly but when I first met you, I knew that we were meant to be together. Even when everyone thought you were dead, I still had hope. I want to love you, marry you, stay with you forever. I'll leave Linda, we can finally be together."

Julia looked at him with an unreadable expression. "We can'. I don' know ye, ye don' know me. It'll never work. Linda's righ for ye. May be someday, ye and her can come an live in the castle and we can be friends. But no more than tha'."

"There's someone else? Isn't there?" He asked, his face falling.

"No! It's nothin like tha'" she said quickly. "I jus think you need to be with Linda. She loves ye, an no one else. She's much better for ye than me."

"Alright. I hope though, one day we can be friends again. You really are a good person and I've missed you. I've thought about-" Elliot began.

"Nope, stop righ there," Julia cut him off. "We need to get going. Get ye back to yer fiancée."

Elliot took a deep breath and they opened the door.


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own Fable**

"So how was it? Did you find her fiancée?" Walter asked when Julia finally found him about an hour later.

"Yeah, turns out it was Elliot. He 'asn't changed much, which I mus say is kina surprisin cause last time I saw 'im I was jus a lass," Julia sighed.

"Really? Did you two…?" he began.

Julia felt a blush creep up her face, "no! it's nothin like tha! I haven't seen 'im in years! It don't matter. I told 'im I an't right for 'im. Can we jus drop it an move on?"

Walter chuckled softly to himself as they ran down a street, past a pub, and down some steps to another entrance to the sewers. "Here we are," Walter said dramatically, pointing to the door, "back to the sewers. Whenever you're ready." Julia took a deep breath and opened the door

.

Julia knew that they must have entered the right place, because there were boxes and guns lying around. There were also torches lining the walls. She and Walter crept through the tunnels, trying to find anyone that looked remotely like resistance fighters.

"Hello?" Walter said into the silence. He turned to Julia, "maybe we have the wrong place. Let's just turn around and-"

"Don't move!" a squat man popped out from behind the crates, pointing a gun at them. About seven other men came out of hiding and pointed their own guns at them. Julia instinctively unsheathed her sword, preparing herself for a fight.

"Wait! We're just here to see Page!" Walter explained hurriedly. "We don't want any trouble."

"Better tell your friend that," the squat man said, not lowering his weapon.

"It's alright!" Walter said. He muttered to Julia, "just do as he says." Julia lowered her sword.

"I say we shoot them!" one voice cried.

"Agreed, shoot them!" the squat man cried.

"Stop!" a firm and powerful voice came from the doorway. A dark skinned woman stepped out from the shadows. Her long curly hair was held back by a bandana and she looked like a resistance leader. "I thought I gave the orders around here Kidd," she said to the squat man.

"Sorry Page," he said sheepishly and put away his gun.

"Walter! Can't say I was expecting you," Page said, walking towards Walter.

"We had to leave the castle earlier than expected. Can we talk in private?" Walter asked, looking relieved that Page had showed up.

"Sure, this way," Page beckoned them into the headquarters.

They entered a big room with a map of Albion, an armory, bedroom, and bathroom. Julia figured that this place doubled as a conference room, bedroom, and more.

"Page this is-" Walter began.

"One of your protégés?" Page cut him off.

"No. This is the princess, Julia." Walter corrected her.

Julia gave a small wave, "'ello."

"Right, she defiantly sounds like the princess who's been missing for fourteen years," Page said skeptically.

"No she really is! She's a hero just like her father! Doesn't she look like her father?" Walter said desperately.

Page looked closer at Julia, "I see what you mean, but you have a lot of explaining to do. But her being a hero doesn't change anything, how about you just give her medal." Page continued.

"I'm righ 'ere! I'd like ta may be figh' for meself if ya don' mind! Lemme explain meself. Julia cut in. She didn't like how the two were arguing about her when she was standing right there.

Page rounded on her, "Why do you talk like many of the people down here in Industrial? If you're a princess, then why don't you act like one? Don't put on a mask, because I see right through it. I bet you're a spy for your brother. He's the reason we live down here, he's the reason we fight!"

"My brother's the reason I grew up down 'ere in Industrial ya prick!" Page was really beginning to annoy Julia and she wasn't going to stand for it. "My _brother _was gonna kill me! 'Is little baby sister when she was five! I 'ad ta run!" Julia stood there, breathing hard, feeling her face heat up.

"Why don't you start at the beginning," Page said in a calm voice, clearly noticing Julia was about to hit something.

"I was five when Walter came and told me I 'ad to leave. They cut me hair an' made me look like a lad an' I was William Joseph Smith. I was dumped onto the streets of Industrial. I 'ad to make a livin. I lived with a family working as a busboy at a pub, but they beat me and they was close to findin out me secret. I left an' got a job in a factory until I was sixteen, and tha's when they kick ya out of the factory, unless yous just a wee thing tha's still small enough for crawlin in the spindles ta fix jams and other little work. I then got inta the business of pickpocketing. People paid me good money for me ta pickpocket someone else. It's a strange profession, but I was real good at it. Nimble fingers. And I got me a small place, but no one knows 'bout it," Julia explained quickly. She left out the arrests and the more brutal bits for Walter's sake.

"It's true," Walter added.

"Wow," Page looked stunned for a bit. She recovered and said, "alright, well, do you want to bring down your brother? Clearly you know first-hand his wrong-doings."

"Yeah, more than anythin. He needs ta be stopped. Will you 'elp? Please? I need ye to find a way to tell Industrial tha I need their 'elp, but, without tellin 'em 'oe I am jus yet," Julia asked.

"Yes. You have my support, and I will do what I can to get the people on your side without says that you're alive, but you are going to have to do it soon. They need an actual person they can follow, not just a theory," Page said. "But, if you're going to be a queen, we need to work on your speech. I'll help you with that."

"Will ya? Really? Tha'd be great!" Julia said excitedly.

"_That'd _be great. I think we need to start right now," Page turned to Walter, "we'll talk later Walter, I want to know your evidence for why Logan would want to kill his own sister and why the best thing you thought to do was to dump her on the streets of Industrial at five. No Walter, please leave the princess and I. We have work to do," and Walter left the room.

Page took a seat and gestured for Julia to do the same. Julia followed and Page began the lesson, "now, repeat after me: To ride a Horse, one must buy a halter."

"To… ride a… horse… one must buy… a 'alter," Julia stammered.

"_Halter_. Really enunciate the H, and try to lighten your words, not so harsh," Page said patiently.

"_Halter," _Julia repeated.

"Better. Next: That isn't right," Page continued. And on it went. Julia felt her confidence grow. She was grateful that she had found some allies and they were willing to help her with becoming the queen she was meant to be.


	11. Chapter 11

**I do not own Fable**

_Julia slammed into the wall; she slid down, clutching her throbbing head. _

_"Where's me money!" the thug said above her, kicking her in the ribs, making her yelp._

_"I told ya! I couldn't do it!" Julia cried, spitting blood out of her mouth and struggling to keep her voice in her low masculine tone so her cover wasn't blown."'E was too quick. I was lucky to get away with me life! At least not gettin arrested by the guards! I been there 'fore an I an't goin back!"_

_"The boss an't gonna be happy 'bout this one. Don show you're face in this area again! Then I migh jus let ya go."_

_"Really?" she looked up._

_"Ya, but I gotta take some sorta payment," and he whipped out a knife and ran it down the left side of Julia's face. She screamed out in pain as it ran from the side of her eye down almost to her jaw bone. "That otta teach ya." And the thug spat on her. Julia stayed huddled in the ally, crying softly. She was fourteen years old._

O_-

"Julia?" she felt a gentle prodding on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked up to see Ben Finn looking down at her with worry in his blue eyes. "You were dreaming. I heard you whimpering quietly." He sat down next to her as she sat up and rubbed her face. She touched her scar; it was still there, slightly raised as it had been for five years.

"Was your dream about that?" Ben asked, gesturing to her scar. Julia nodded in responce. "Was it about how you got it?" He continued; another nod from Julia. "Do you want to talk about it?" Julia shook her head. Ben shrugged and stood up, reaching a hand down to help her up, "Well, if you ever do, I'm right here to listen."

Julia took it and he helped her up. "When did you get here anyway?" She asked.

"A few hours ago. Hey you're pronouncing your H's! Good!" Ben exclaimed.

"Yeah; Page has been helping me with my speech. A queen shouldn't speak like some sorta street rat she says," Julia said, fixing her ponytail. She had been here about a week and already she was hearing an improvement herself. Page was a strict but kind teacher. They worked for about an hour and a half everyday on her speech.

"I'm glad to hear. And I hope you've been keeping up on your writing as well?" Ben asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Julia reached down to her bag next to her mat and pulled out the paper. "Page gave me more things to copy as well! I still want to learn more though."

Ben looked at the paper and Julia saw he was impressed. He nodded, "nice work. I especially love the fact that one of them says, 'Logan is the biggest bastard.' Page made that up right?"

Julia looked at the paper, "tha's what it says?" Ben laughed. Julia looked down sheepishly, "I think I still have work to do."

Ben laughed, "Come on Princess, we'll work some more right now."

They worked for a few hours. They not only worked on writing, but some reading. They did spend some of the time just talking and catching up.

"Alright, can you try and read this?" Ben asked, pointing to a line on the page of the book they were looking at.

"See… Jane run. Jane runs… fast," Julia read.

"Nice! Alright, and the next?" Ben pointed just as Walter walked over.

"We need you both in Page's room now," Walter said unsmiling. Ban and Julia looked at each other. Ben shrugged and they followed Walter to the room.

"We need to try and stop Reaver! He's carried on too long!" Page was saying when Ben and Julia entered the room. She looked up at them, "ah there you are! Julia I need your help. I sent a few of my men to Reaver's mansion and they haven't returned. I'm worried, and I think I need to see for myself your abilities. You in?"

"Yeah. I've seen what he's done, and I agree his time is up," Julia nodded her head. "What's the plan?"

"Reaver's hosting a party in his mansion, and you and I are going in." Page reached behind her and handed her a large package. "Here's your costume. Go change and meet me back here and I'll put the finishing touches in. Now everyone out! I have a party to get ready for."

The group left the room and Julia found a private place and opened the package. A pale gold gown with sky blue accents unfolded. The fabric was soft and smooth. She slipped it on, it hugged her body and gave her the right curves in the all the right places. The sleeves began below her shoulders, leaving her upper chest exposed. It ballooned out slightly at her hips and the neckline dipped lower than she expected.

She left the dressing room and found that Ben was standing with his back towards her. She cleared her throat and he turned around.

"How do I look?" Julia asked, twirling around so he could see the whole dress.

Ben was speechless. She looked absolutely stunning. The dress showed the curves in her body and highlighted her tan skin; her dark red hair flowed to her shoulders. He walked up to her, thinking that she wasn't real, "you look beautiful."

"Thanks. I haven't worn a dress in years. I've forgotten what it's like," Julia muttered, smoothing wrinkles that weren't there.

Ben walked over to her and held her hands, stopping her from fidgeting anymore with the dress. She looked up at him, their eyes meeting, "stop," he whispered, 'you look perfect." Their faced began to move closer together, and Ben saw Julia's eyes begin to close. Their lips almost touched when he heard a voice behind them, causing them to break apart.

"Ready Julia?" Page said, walking towards them. She was wearing a pink dress, a white wig, and a fox mask. Ben stepped back, clearing his throat, Page paid no mind to him and handed Julia a mask for her, "here, I heard it's a masquerade party."

"Thanks," Julia mumbled, as she fumbled with the mask, trying to tie it herself.

"Here," Ben said, stepping behind her and tying it for her. He noticed how low the dress was in the back and he wanted to rip it off her and kiss her like he was going to die the next day.

"Okay, Julia, we need to get going," Page cut into his thoughts. Julia nodded and walked over to her.

"What? So I still can't come? Even after the hollowmen story?" Ben protested.

"No," Page said, and they left, Ben stood there, staring after them, his stomach still fluttering at the thought of Julia in her dress.


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own Fable**

"Ben? Are you even listening to me?" Walter broke into Ben's thoughts. They were sitting at a table, playing poker and Walter asking about something. But Ben wasn't listening; his mind kept straying to Julia in her dress.

Ben looked up from his cards at Walter, "huh? Oh yeah." He looked back down.

"Alright, then what did I just say?" Walter asked.

"You were talking about how you are terrible poker player?" Ben tried, smirking. Already he had beaten Walter in ten out of eleven games.

"No, I was saying on how long it's been since Swift left for the castle," Walter said, not smiling.

"I'm sure he's fine," Ben reassured Walter, glancing back at his cards and throwing in a few coins.

"Listen, after this game, I want you to go to the castle and see if you can find anything out alright? I'll have Julia meet you there when she and Page get back alright?"

"Yep! I'll go right now!" Ben jumped up, slamming his cards down, "I win! Royal flush!"

"Wait!" Ben stopped and turned back to face Walter. "You should change first. That uniform stands out quite a bit. Everyone knows you're a part of the resistance now, and I don't want to lose you; you're the best shot we have at the moment."

"Love you too Wally," Ben smirked, turning around and walking away to see if he could find some new clothes.

O_-

"Ah there you are Julia; I was wondering if you had died or something. I see you changed," Ben smirked as Julia walk up to him. She was surprised he wasn't more worried. She wondered if he had heard the same message she had back in Millfields. "Come on then, let's just find Swifty and get out of here."

They had met at the entrance to the castle grounds. After Julia's battle at Reaver mansion, she heard the town crier yell about a message from Logan. She had split with Page, grabbed a spare pair of clothes, and ran up to Bowerstone. Julia wasn't sure if anyone from the resistance would be there, but she was relieved to find Ben Finn waiting for her.

"Whatever you say," Julia shrugged and they entered the castle grounds.

There was a large gathering already, despite the growing threat of rain. Julia looked up to see her brother standing at the top of the balcony. Julia noticed how much he had changed since the last time she had seen him; then again the last time she had seen him was fourteen years ago. Logan had streaks of grey in his hair, and bags under his eyes, as though he hadn't had a good night's rest in a few weeks.

"Traitors walk amongst us," Logan began as the rain began to pour down. "They wear all sorts of disguises, they might even been your closest friends. Like Major Swift here," Logan pointed to the guards, who were holding up a bloodied man. He lifted his head to reveal that it was Swift.

"Swift," Julia heard Ben breath beside her. She saw him stiffen as the guards pushed Swift up against the wall.

"Don't do anything stupid," Julia whispered in his ear, gently grabbing his arm.

"Yes, Major Swift here is a traitor, and he will be an example of what any traitor will go through," Logan continued as the guard lifted a gun to Major Swift's head. Julia tightened her grip on Ben's arm as the shot rang out and Swift dropped to the ground, dead.

Ben turned to Julia as the rain began to plummet down, "He, he can't do this! He has to be stopped!"

"I know," Julia said softly, trying to comfort him.

"We have to tell the others! Come on!" and the pair ran off down the streets, into the darkening sky.


	13. Chapter 13

**I do not own Fable**

"They just killed him! In cold blood!" Ben said, shaking with anger while Julia kept her arm around him. They were back in the resistance headquarters; Ben had just recounted Swift's execution to Page and Walter what happened back at the castle.

"It's terrible, but he died a noble death," Walter reassured Ben.

"It was anything but noble! He was tortured, humiliated, and murdered!" Ben almost yelled, slamming his fist on the table.

"He didn't tell Logan anything. If he had, then we would _all_ already be dead. I would call that noble," Walter argued.

"I agree with Walter," Page added.

"And before he was captured, he sent us all one last message. Being Swift, it was rather straight forward," Walter continued, pulling out a piece of paper. "You will find allies in Aurora," Walter read.

"Aurora?" Page said, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "But that's a dead land; there's nothing out there."

"That's what you think. We're going there, tonight," Walter said, setting the note on the table.

"I'm in. It's time for Logan to get what's coming for him," Ben said.

"I would join you, but I need to stay here to plan the revolution with our allies here," Page said.

"Julia, you ready?" Walter asked her. "We're going to be gone a long time, Aurora's far from here."

"Yep. There's nothing here for me to say goodbye to," Julia responded.

"Alright, then it's settled. Julia, you and Ben go together to the docks, and I'll meet you there. Logan will have soldiers waiting to follow us if we're caught, so I'll try to get them off our tail. Move out!" Walter commanded, and Ben and Julia left the room.

O-o

"You ready?" Ben asked when they reached the surface near the entrance to the docks. "It's about to get messy, but I have a plan to try and limit the amount of killing necessary, so keep your weapon sheathed until I give the signal."

"Got it," Julia nodded.

"Okay, here we go." Ben walked up to the guard at the gate and looked at him admiralty. "Wow, I just, your uniforms are beautiful! Where can my friend and I get one?"

"Get lost!" the guard told Ben sternly.

"Oh but we are your biggest fans and we really want to join the guard! Seriously! Are there any applications to fill out? If we could just get your autograph," Ben pressed.

"Get lost, or we will be forced to terminate you!" The guard didn't move. "I'm going to count to three, and if you're not gone, I will kill you! One…two…"

Ben whipped out his gun and shot the guard before he could say three. "We'd better get moving, before the rest of the guard shows up," Ben turned to Julia as he opened the gate. "Speaking of the rest," he turned back to face the gate to see ten more guards show up, drawing swords and guns. "Here we go!"

"Did you even have a plan?" Julia shouted to Ben as they battled waves and waves of guards.

"Nope! I just thought my improvisation skills were better than I guess they actually are," Ben yelled back.

"Righ' I figured!" Julia turned to see a guard charging, his sword pointed for Ben's weak spot. "Get down!" Ben ducked as soon as Julia whipped out her pistol and shot the man dead.

"Thanks! I owe you one!" Ben thanked Julia as he resumed fighting as if he hadn't just had a near death moment.

"You might owe me more soon, Soldier Boy!"

Ben laughed as they continued to fight their way to the secluded dock they were going to meet Walter at. The last guard finally fell as Walter came into view.

"What took you so long?" Ben puffed to Walter, sheathing his sword.

"It turns out Logan is sending people after us, and we need to get moving now! Before they show up," Walter said, looking behind him to see if he was followed. He moved to the dock and faced a small dingy, "well, it's not much, but at least it floats right?"

"Or we could take this one and not drown within the first five seconds," Julia turned to see Ben pointing to a larger boat that was much more stable than the dingy.

"I'm with Ben! Have fun Walter! I hope ya know how to swim!" Julia laughed, moving next to Ben.

"Or that can work much better. Let's go." Walter moved onto the boat and faced the other two, "To Aurora!"

O_-

"How much farther do we have Walter?" Ben asked, leaning his chair back and crossing his hands behind his head.

Walter didn't look up from his book when he said, "my answer hasn't changed in the last five minutes Ben. This ship doesn't move all that fast and Aurora's pretty far away." Julia grinned to herself and refocused on copying the sentences Ben had given her to copy down.

They had been at sea for five days and it was beginning to take its toll on Ben. He was able to work the boat without much trouble; it was simplistic in design, so once Ben got it up and running, there was not much left to do but sit around and wait. He was used to battling a dozen hollowmen everyday, and five days of no action was begin to wear him down. To try and pass the time, he and Julia worked at her reading, writing, and speech. She was coming along very well, Ben noticed. She learned faster than he had expected, and the more he worked with her, the more he wanted to get to know about her past in Industrial. He felt that the more he learned, the more unanswered questions came up.

"Ben, how old are you?" Julia asked suddenly.

"23…why?" Ben answered skeptically.

"Jus' wondering. You've achieved a lot in 23 years," Julia shrugged her shoulders.

"I wonder what was going on in Swift's head when he made you captain, Ben," Walter added, still not looking up.

"Ha ha very funny Walter. How long did it take for you to become captain? How old were you? Forty?" Ben shot back. He was still very upset from Swift's murder and didn't appreciate Walter commenting on Swift's choice as putting him as captain. He was about to make another comment when he felt the ship jerk to the side. "What was-" he wasn't able to finish, for an explosion and bright light filled his ears and sight.


	14. Chapter 14

**I do not own Fable**

Ben sat up, spitting sand out of his mouth. "Oh God what happened?" He asked aloud, rubbing his face as he stood up and looked around. He suddenly remembered the rumbling and remembered thrashing around in the ocean as he saw his ship go up in flames. Logan's navy must have surprised them while Julia, him, and Walter were bellow and blew up their ship. He had tried desperately to find Julia and Walter in the water after the explosion, but his search was unsuccessful. He had however, found a small piece of the boat that he crawled on and floated away from the wreckage. He must have drifted asleep because the next thing he knew, he woke up on the strange beach, littered with the wreckage of the boat. Ben looked around and luckily found his sword and rifle.

"Finally some luck," he muttered as he strapped them on his back. "Okay, now off to find Julia and Walter."

The first thing Ben realized about the desert was that it was hot. And large. Much larger than he expected. He had wandered from the beach and began to trudge throughout the desert to see if Julia or Walter had also found their way to the same location. Ben had been searching for a few days, and he was beginning to notice a lack of food. He had found a few springs, but they dried out in a few moments after Ben was able to get some water. He had abandoned his jacket a while ago and was down to just his thin shirt.

"Good Lord it's hot. This must be what hell's like; just sand, bloody sand!" Ben shouted and dropped to his knees. He flopped over to his back and looked up at the sky and whispered, "Julia I hope you're alright. But you're strong you'll pull through. You must have found a place with shade, and water."

Ben stood up suddenly and drew his sword. He had heard a shrill scream off in the distance and he knew that it couldn't be a good sign. "Alright you bastard where are you?" He whispered, turning around slowly. A fiery pain shot up his left shoulder by his wing, and he dropped his sword. He yelped and fell down. He felt up his back and found a stick poking up out of his back, he took a quick breath and pulled it out. He looked at it, lying in his open palm. It was a small bolt from a crossbow. "What am I dealing with here?" He muttered. Ben didn't have much time to ponder for he felt a blade draw across his side, making a deep gash. Ben flipped over on his side, again yelling in pain.

He quickly stood up, trying to find the source of the attack. He picked up his sword and waited for a fight. A black cloth wrapped figure appeared in front of him, screaming and twirling a sword. Ben quickly raised his own to slice the demon's head off, but it disappeared, as if it was sucked into the sand itself. Soon two more appeared behind Ben and he whipped around and swung his sword. They disappeared as well. "Goddamnit; show yourself you cowards!" And the demons answered his command with a shrill shriek. Ben slashed his sword at the three of them, rarely making contact with them or their swords, while they made contact with him. Then they vanished again, leaving Ben whirling around, waiting for the next strike. He heard more yelling. He was sick of fighting these impossible demons, so when the next one popped out, Ben pulled his rifle off his back and his shot rang out across the desert. The demon fell and the other two ran as fast as they could.

"Yes! That's right you sons of bitches! Run!" Ben yelled after them, and he fell on his back next to the dead demon. He didn't move for a few moments, his weariness flooding through his body. Finally he mustered the strength to roll over and inspected the body. It was a person, but like none he had ever seen, this person was long limbed and spindly. He considered unwrapping the cloth and seeing what was beneath, but he wasn't sure he wanted to find out. Ben searched the body and found a water skin. He drank the water greedily and pouring some over his head. He ripped his shirt to bind his still bleeding wounds. He stood up and began to stumble along.

Ben continued to walk, but he found that the world was spinning and he couldn't walk straight. He had never felt so tired in his life, but he tried to keep going. Ben knew that if he stopped, he would die. He suddenly found himself face down in the sand. He heard a small voice off in the distance. He could barely muster the strength to lift his head, and he saw a figure walking towards him.

"Julia?" he whispered, and then he laid his head down in the sand.


	15. Chapter 15

**I do not own Fable**

"Come on Ben, I can't lose you too," Ben heard a voice above his head.

Ben felt himself on a mat in a cold room. The cold stone was heavenly on his hot skin. He was shaking under the blankets, but he couldn't figure out why. He could barely open his eyes as he felt a cold cloth on his forehead, dabbing away his sweat. He finally opened his eyes and looked into very worried green eyes. "Julia?" he croaked. He wondered why she was near tears. He could barely remember what happened.

"Shh," Julia whispered, continuing to dab his forehead. "Direct your energy to getting better. Both you and Walter have big fights ahead of you."

_Walter? What's wrong with him? _Ben reached over and grasped her free hand and held it. He closed his eyes as he whispered, "don't you worry Princess, I'll be fine." And he slept.

O_-

Julia was sleeping in a chair next to Ben when she felt the nudge on her knee. She jerked awake to see Ben awake and grinning at her.

"Taking a nap huh? Typical royalty," he smirked. Julia quickly jabbed a pressure point on his arm. "Oh God what was that for?" he exclaimed.

"For scaring me into thinking you were going to die! How did you now know that sand fury bolts are poisoned? Kalin told me that they found you near death by one of their settlements!" Julia responded angrily, crossing her arms and glaring at Ben.

Ben sat up, "well, I had no idea what those things were! I only managed to kill one and there were three of them that attacked me," he retorted. "Where are we anyway?"

"You are in my house in Aurora," a woman with a bald head and painted face walked up to the pair. "Welcome, I am Kalin." Julia thought that Ben realized her authority for he turned off all his swagger and cockiness.

"I'm very grateful for you saving me," Ben said, with a small bow of his head.

Kalin did not show any emotion when she said, "you are not the first we have helped. Neither Julia or her friend."

"Where is Walter?" Ben asked, jumping up. He swayed dangerously and Julia quickly stood and stopped him from falling over.

"He's alright. The priestess said that he will most likely pull through, but he's still asleep. I think we both have some stories to tell each other," Julia said helping him sit back down on the mat. Ben winced and clutched his side, which was wrapped in bandages, along with his left shoulder and arm. He also had a new cut almost identical to Julia's, but on the right side of his face instead of the left. Ben was sunburned from being out in the desert for a few days, and the skin was beginning to peel. Julia still couldn't helped but think that he was still very handsome. Julia gasped when he winced and asked, "are you alright?"

"Yes," Ben breathed, as he sat back and took a deep breath. He looked up at Julia and saw that she still looked very worried. "I'm alright, I'm fine. I've dealt with much worse over my lifetime," he reassured her.

"I'm sorry, it's just I'm so worried about losing Walter," Julia sat next to him and rested her head on his left shoulder.

He gripped her hand and stroked it gently with his thumb, "I know; me too. He might be a pain in the arse at times, but then again he might say the same about me huh?"

She laughed softly, tears beginning to prick her eyes, "I guess you're right. But even though I didn't know him for very long, I'm beginning to remember some of the stories that he used to tell me at night. And now, I feel like I've known him forever. I just couldn't lose him." And the tears began to fall. It was the first time she had cried in years, and it was a strange feeling.

Ben gently took her chin and tilted it so she was meeting his eyes, "hey listen, everything's going to be fine. I know Walter, he'll pull through. He wouldn't leave you now. And I wouldn't have either. I care about you too much." And he leaned in and kissed her.

Julia wasn't expecting him to do that, and she almost pulled away. But soon she realized that she liked the feel of his lips on hers, so she closed her eyes and kissed him back. She could almost feel the electricity sparking between their lips. Their lips fit together like they were made for each other. Julia lost track of time, but she heard someone clearing their throat and they broke apart.

"Walter is waking up," Kalin told them, not bothered by the kiss she just witnessed.

Julia stood, and helped Ben stand and put on his shirt. They moved as quickly as they could over to where Walter was, Julia supporting was stirring on his mat.

"Come on Walter," Julia heard Ben mutter beside her.

Walter groaned and opened his eyes, "I really didn't want your face to be the first I saw when I woke up Finn."

Ben laughed, "I see your trials in the desert haven't changed you at all Walter."

Julia rushed over and grasped Walter's hand, "Walter I'm so happy you're awake. How are you feeling? I'm so sorry that I left you."

"Ah Julia, I knew you would find me." Walter gently rested his hand on her face. She grinned and felt the tears finally begin to fall. "I think this is the first time I've ever seen you cry my dear," Walter said gently.

Julia quickly wiped away the tears, "I'm sorry. I just was so worried that I would lose you." She felt Ben's reassuring hand on her shoulder and she placed her other hand over it.

"Well, now that all the sappiness is over, I think we should may be get a move on," Walter stood up, Julia and Ben rushing to either side in case he fell over.

"I will ready my troops and ships. We leave on your word your majesty," Kalin walked over and stood, waiting for Julia's command.

"We leave tomorrow night," Julia commanded.

"Brilliant. I will send word to the troops across the land. It's time for the people to know that their princess has returned," and Walter rushed out the door.

The revolution was about to start.


	16. Chapter 16

**I do not own Fable**

"So, can you tell me what happened during your excursion in the desert?" Ben asked Julia as they strolled across the beach. It was dark, and Ben was in awe at the many stars in the sky. He thought there had been a lot at Mourningwood, but this was indescribable. They settled down in a sheltered spot away from prying eyes and Ben quickly built a fire. When he was done he came and sat down next to Julia, stretching his legs out.

"You first," Julia said, not looking at Ben.

"Well, I woke up on the beach all alone, wandered the desert looking for you and Walter, nearly died at the hand of sand furies, and passed out from a poison dart. I think you know the rest. Trust me, it wasn't all that exciting," he looked at her and saw that she looked near tears again. He stopped and grasped her hands, forcing her to turn and look at her, "Julia, what happened? You seem different, and Walter doesn't look all that great either. It looks as though you've both aged twenty years and saw things you wish you hadn't; and you've both seen a lot."

"It's really hard to talk about," Julia whispered. She curled her legs up to her chest, took a deep breath and began. "We woke up on a beach, same as you. But instead of wandering into the desert, we found a cave. There were all these old structures, pillars and whatnot. There was a strange hole in the ground, like a pond. But instead of water it was a strange cover; purple and pulsing. There were also lots of bodies. Amongst the bodies, there was a way to open the cover. We figured there would be a way out, so we went down the steps. That was our first mistake.

"It was pitch dark. Imagine a dark room, and then make it ten times darker. Walter found a torch so we had some light. It was also eerie silent. Soon, there were these shadow demons. We could kill them pretty easy, but there were so many. Then there was this voice. It was voice that wasn't out in th' open, but in your 'ead. I knew Walter could 'ear it too, but it was terrible. It said terrible things abou' th' land burnin an'-" Julia drew in a shuttering breath. Ben grasped her hand and held it tight. She was silent for a few moments, and then continued, "we continued as quick as we could, fightin' more shadows and 'earing the terrible voice. The next thing I knew, Walter was gone. I rushed through the cave and finally found him. The darkness and voice seemed to affect him more than me.

"I finally found him. He was covered in black goo. It was comin from ev'erwhere; 'is eyes, mouth, ev'erwhere. I had to fight these big bird things and more shadows to release him. But Walter couldn't see. He couldn't 'ardly move too."

"That's awful," Ben muttered.

Julia nodded, "we finally got out of there and into the desert. I tried to get Walter to come with me, but 'e made me leave 'im. It was the worst feeling, abandoning 'im there. But 'e wouldn't let me carry 'im anymore." Julia was crying now. Ben stayed silent, horrified with what Julia must have had to go through. "I thought I escaped th' worst when we left th' cave. Turns out it was just th' start. Th' voice came in my 'ead when I was trying to find 'elp. 'e said things—things I'll never forget. 'e brought back my worst memories. I finally told the thing to leave me alone and I slashed through the darkness. Finally the sun filled me vision. But fightin tha' thing really wore me out. I couldn't go on; I sank into blackness.

"Then I woke up in Aurora. I persuaded Kalin to send out search parties for Walter and you. They found Walter first, right where I told them to find 'im. Then they found you a few days later. You were sweating, shaking, bloodied and feverish. Kalin said that you had been poisoned by a sand fury bolt and they 'ad dealt with injuries like that before, but they weren't sure you would make it. It was the same thing they told me about Walter. That day I was scared that I would be alone. I 'aven't been able to sleep, I was so scared that I would lose both of you," and Julia broke down, sobbing into her hands.

Ben pulled her into his chest. She buried her face in his shirt and continued to cry. He shushed her and stroked her hair. He rested his chin on the top of her head. "I never would have left you," he whispered, "you kept me going in the desert. I only thought of you and getting back to you. And you're stronger than this darkness. Look at you. You're going to be a great queen. Everyone will follow you, and I will be right here with you every step of the day."

She tilted her head up and looked at him, her eyes red, "really?" she sniffed.

"Of course," he wiped away her tears with his thumb. "You are way too important to me. The first time I saw you I thought you were stunning. I thought to myself, 'I want this girl'. You are perfect," and Ben kissed her. Julia kissed him back. Ben cupped her face in his hands and she ran her hands through his hair. Ben wanted more.

He moved down and began to kiss her neck. Julia moaned with pleasure and wrapped her arms around his neck. He moved back to kiss her mouth and he slipped his hands under her shirt, exploring. She followed suit, gently tugging his shirt up over his head. They fell over, Ben on top of her. He slipped up her shirt, revealing the band that wrapped her chest. His began to kiss her stomach and she moaned, running her hands through his hair. He took off the band along with the rest of her clothing and she removed his. They kept exploring and the next thing they knew, they were one.

"I think I might love you Captain Benjamin Finn," Julia murmured into his neck.

"I love you too Princess Julia," He whispered back as he kissed her, his heart full for the very first time.


	17. Chapter 17

**I do not own Fable**

Julia woke up the next morning with Ben's arm wrapped protectively around her. The fire was reduced to ashes and the sun was beginning to rise. She rolled over and kissed his cheek gently. He mumbled something and moved his lips to meet hers.

He opened his eyes gently, "good morning my love."

Julia giggled, burying her face in his chest, "last night was the best. I haven't slept that well for a few days."

Ben cocked his eyebrow, making Julia's heart flutter, "that's what stands out to you the most? The fact that you slept well?"

"Of course not," she wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled her head under his chin. She felt his arms snake around her waist. "I wish we could stay here forever," she whispered.

"Well, wouldn't you think we would starve?" Ben joked. "Besides, we have a big day today, we should get going."

Julia stood up, "well, we should at least get the sand off." And she bolted into the ocean, squealing at the cold. She turned around and winked at Ben, "aren't you coming?" Ben whooped and ran in after her.

They played in the water for a while, splashing each other, kissing, laughing, kissing some more. Finally, when they couldn't feel their toes, they crawled out and cuddled to warm back up and dry off.

The sun was high in the sky when Ben and Julia finally made it back to Kalin's house.

"Where have you two been? If you had been any longer, I would have sent out a search party. We can't have our new queen go missing the day that the revolution starts," Walter exclaimed when they entered the house.

"I was helping Julia with her sword technique, and I think we both just fell asleep. Sorry to make you worried there Walter," Ben reassured. Walter didn't seem to believe him, but he didn't say anything.

"Page!" Julia finally noticed the tall woman behind Walter and ran over to give her a hug. "You sure got here quickly."

"Well, Walter sent a message while you were on the ship to come in about a week, and it's been about that time. Walter didn't know how much time it would take for you to make allies out here. So I left a few days ago and here I am!" Page explained.

"The rest of our party will meet us near the docks where we will begin the attack," Walter pulled out a map and everyone gathered around it. "We still need to work out our plan from there. Shall we get going? Is everyone ready to leave?"

"I think so. Kalin are your troops ready?" Page asked Kalin.

"I only now take orders from the future queen," Kalin responded, looking at Julia with expectance.

Julia stood silently. Afraid to say something she might regret. She felt a warm hand take hers and give it a squeeze. She looked up and met Ben's eyes, who gave her a reassuring nod. Julia took a deep breath and declared, "rally the troops. We leave for Albion in ten minutes."

"Ah! So this is the supposedly the dead princess. It's very nice to meet you, I'm Sabine," the little man approached Julia. She looked rather surprised, Ben thought, to have such a short little man come up to her. Julia was tall to begin with, but this man was shorter than expected.

"Oh, yes. I'm Julia," Julia said, uncertainly, taking Sabine's hand and shaking it.

"Nice to see you again Finn," a deep voice said behind Ben. He turned around and looked into the face of Saker.

"Saker, nice to see you," Ben took his hand. Ben was in the same company as Saker when he first began military training. Saker had been his captain, and he had even tried to convince Ben to join him in abandoning the military. But Ben knew that it would disappoint his mother, so he refused. He hadn't spoken to Saker since. The last time they had met, their circumstances had not been the best. "It's been a long time huh?"

Saker laughed, "heh heh yeah. If I remember correctly, you had a gun up against my chin."

"And you a dagger to my ribs," Ben chuckled nervously, glancing at the very threatening knife strapped to Saker's thigh.

Saker must have seen Ben looking, for he grabbed it and laughed, "Don't you worry Finn! No hard feelings anymore. Those were childish anyway. You were moving up quickly in ranks, I knew you would never join my little rebellion. Plus your mother," Saker said pointedly to Ben. "Congratulations on Captain status by the way."

"Thanks. Good job becoming the leader of a ruthless band of killers with no cause," Ben quipped.

"Ha ha ha!" Saker's laugh boomed across the ship, making people jump. "Still the joker I see!" Saker clapped Ben on the shoulder.

"Now everyone please gather round!" Walter boomed over everyone. "Now, we will soon be at the docks where the revolution will begin. Does anyone have any questions about the plan?"

Ben raised his hand, "Yeah Wally. Which plan are we doing? We've heard about one from everyone."

"I would say mine," Page stepped forward.

"What about my plan?" Ben asked.

"We would live longer than a few seconds," Kalin interjected.

"Well then," Ben looked down and shifted awkwardly.

"I don't care which plan we do, all I need to know is what my men and I need to do," Sabine looked to the group. Saker nodded in agreement.

"I think it is up for the future queen to decide which plan to follow," Walter looked to Julia.

Julia looked at everyone, and Ben could see that she was nervous about what to do. He gripped her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. She looked at him with grateful eyes. She took a deep breath and said, "Page knows the city best, we will follow her plan."

"Alright. It's settled." Walter put his hand in the middle of the circle. The rest of the leaders joined in and Walter declared, "let the battle for Albion begin!"


	18. Chapter 18

**I do not own Fable**

Julia had been in battles before, but never anything quite like this. There were floods of Logan's soldiers, far more than she had seen at the docks; they outnumbered her own soldiers significantly. She whipped her head around to see Walter fighting three soldiers while Ben was fighting four. Julia turned back around up the hill from the docks. And now, not only were there bullets and swords flying from every direction, but it had begun to rain.

"Julia! We need you to disable that mortar! Kalin's ships won't be able to get any closer if it's still active. Sabine already working on the other!" she heard Ben cry from behind her. Julia drew her sword and continued to race up the hill, forgetting everything and just letting her body's natural fighting instincts take over.

She had never slashed and killed so many men. Before she knew it, she reached the top of the hill and found the mortar. She killed the man operating it and blew up the mortar with a blast of fire from her glove.

"Nice work Princess!" Ben kissed her cheek lightly and forced open the gate.

"To the city!" Walter cried, not noticing Julia's flaring cheeks from Ben's kiss.

They moved into the city and found more soldiers waiting for them.

"So much for the element of surprise!" Ben said as he shot at the advancing soldiers. Julia pulled out her own pistol and shot at the barrels of gun powder near groups of soldiers. A close blast knocked her off her feet and she toppled to the ground.

"Oh no you don't Princess!" a pair of hands lifted her up off the ground. She looked around expecting to see Ben, but instead she looked into the eyes of Page. "My men and I are pushing through the lines, but we need to finish this fight soon! There are too many soldiers." She told Walter.

"Well, if the plan is still going the way it needs to, than we just need to keep going straight up the middle right?" Walter asked. A loud explosion sounded next to them as a house burst into flames.

"Can we please continue this discussion not in the open?" Ben asked as he covered his head from raining house shards.

"Where would you suggest?" Walter asked.

"Well, there's such a thing as breaking and entering. I don't think anyone would mind right now," Ben quipped, pointing to the now open house.

"After you," Walter gestured. The four headed into the house and regrouped. Ben wiped the sweat and dirt off his face and reloaded his rifle.

"So are we still following the plan?" Julia asked.

"Yes. We need to make sure to get you and Walter up to the castle safely. I think if you just cut through this house and keep heading up hill you should be at the castle. I think what might be best is if we try not to get into too many fights. Ben and I will cover you two. Sound good?" Page strategized.

"The more soldiers you run into, you know you're going the right way. The castle's most likely going to be the most heavily guarded," Ben added in. Julia just nodded. She couldn't believe that after all these years she was coming home.

"Alright Julia, ready?" Walter asked turning and facing her. Julia nodded and drew her sword.

"Give him hell for us Julia," Ben whispered.


	19. Chapter 19

**I do not own Fable**

After the fierce battle in the courtyard, Julia and Walter were surprised to find the interior of the castle nearly deserted.

"I guess they expected to stop us on the way here, don't you think?" Walter asked in a whisper, almost as if the castle was alive and going to swallow them whole.

"I don't know," Julia whispered back. She was in awe at being back in her old home.

"Julia? Are you alright my dear?" Walter asked.

"I think so, but I don't know. I haven't been here in almost over fourteen years; this place almost feels like a dream of some sorts. Does that make any sense?" She turned to Walter. She remembered the grand staircase, the drapes over the windows, blocking out the rain and fire rising from the city, and the portraits on the wall. However, everything seemed run down and dark, like no one had cared for the place in years.

"Yes, I understand. Look, this must be where Logan is," Walter gestured to the door at the top of the stairs. They hurried up to the door. Walter was about to break open the door when he noticed that Julia was still lagging behind him. "Julia? Are you ready to end this tyranny? I know it might be hard facing your brother, but I've seen what you can do. You're ready to assume your rightful place here. And I won't leave you for a second with this man."

The rain slammed on the windows, bringing Julia memories of when she was five and left the castle. her life had changed so much over the past nineteen years, and she wondered how she was going to run the kingdom. she quickly shook herself out of her memories and turned to the door.

"Alright, let's do it," Julia stood next to Walter and took a deep breath.

"Should we knock first?"

"Nah, let's surprise him," Julia smiled slightly and kicked the door down.

"Halt!" a guard yelled, standing in front of Julia's brother. He didn't last long, for Walter whipped out his pistol and shot the guard dead, leaving Logan alone.

Julia stopped and looked at Logan. He looked even worse than the last time she had seen him. Granted that was from a farther distance. He was greyer, and he looked even more tired.

"So, Walter, it is true, you have been staging this whole revolution behind my back have you?" Logan said. He didn't even seem to notice Julia at first.

"Your time is up Logan, you need to step down. Your kingdom is crumbling under your rule and someone new is here to take your place," Walter gestured to Julia.

"And who is this little stray that you picked up? Is she going to really rule _my _kingdom? Can she even read?" Logan jeered in Julia's face.

"It's nice to see you again dear brother," Julia said, looking Logan straight in the eye.

"Julia?" Logan gasped in disbelief. His face showed a mixture of disbelief and fear. "It can't be really you. You're dead." He quickly composed himself and said, "nice try Beck, is this little street rat supposed to be posing as my dead little sister? How old are you my dear child?"

"Nineteen. You were going to have me killed fourteen years ago when I was five! _A five year old_!" Julia stepped closer to him.

Logan looked at her harder. His eyes suddenly grew wide, "Those eyes, they look..."

"Just like Dad's? Yeah, I get that a lot," Julia continued.

"Julia! It is you!" Logan came closer and began to pull her into a hug.

"Stay away from me you sick man!" Julia cried, stepping out of his grasp.

"You're finally home! We need to celebrate!" He turned and began to open a bottle of wine. "Now how about you call off your little revolutionaries and we brush all this off?" He turned back around with two wine glasses. He handed one to Julia, she took it, but didn't drink. Logan raised his own glass, "the lost princess has come home! There is no need for all this violence. We can rule together as we were meant too! As brother and sister!" He smiled, but the smile missed his eyes, for they were still cold and dark. "It's what Father would want us too," Logan added, reaching his hand out to Julia.

"Don't listen to him Julia, take him out now!" Walter whispered.

"Don't tell her what to do Walter," Logan spat at Walter. He faced Julia again, "She's almost a grown woman, and she can make her own decisions."

Julia began to reach her hand out to Logan, "I—"she suddenly dropped her hand and drew her sword, dropping her glass, spilling wine on the carpet, the crimson spreading like blood, "will never follow you!" she charged Logan and plunged her sword into his chest. "You're time is up."

Logan staggered back, clutching the place where Julia stabbed him. He looked up at her with disbelieve, but slowly a grin spread across his face, "yours is too! Now there will be no heir after what you did."

Julia looked down to see a small dagger protruding out of her side. She barely heard Walter's cry as she sank to the ground.

"I'm so glad I was able to see you one last time. See you in hell dear sister!" Logan gave a final laugh and Julia heard the sound of breaking glass fill the room.

Julia's vision began to darken. Soon all she could see was Walter's face, and his voice filled her head. "No! Julia please, stay with me! You'll be fine, just hold on!" And soon there was only black.


	20. Chapter 20

**I do not own Fable**

Julia blinked, opening her eyes for them to be filled with a bright light. She sat up, recognizing the place as the road to rule.

"You have come such a long way, I am so proud of you my child," Julia turned her head to look into very deep green eyes. They were her eyes. Looking at the rest of the face, she saw that it was a male face. "Here," a strong arm lifted her up so she was standing. Julia looked at the man and he looked very familiar.

"Dad?" she whispered. He nodded, grinning. Tears filled Julia's eyes and she pulled her father into a great hug.

"Oh Julia, I've missed you so much. You are so much like your mother," her father whispered.

"Am I dead?" she muffled into his shirt.

"I do not know. Are you?" He asked, stroking her hair.

She pulled back and looked into his eyes, "I don't want to be."

"You really want to go back? Nothing is going to get any easier."

"I know, but there is so much that I need to do. I need to fix all of it, but I just don't know how."

"I understand. I think you will be a great queen," her father smiled.

"Will Logan be okay?" Julia asked. "I didn't mean to kill him."

"You didn't kill him; he did himself when he jumped through that window. But yes, he will be fine. Look," her father pointed and she saw Logan walking towards them. Julia backed away, not sure if he was going to try and kill her again. Then she noticed something different about him; his eyes were clear and happy.

Logan approached and spoke to Julia, "thank you. I was suffering for so long, and you freed me. You will be a much better king than I was. I see great things in your future dear sister. I know what I did to you was unthinkable, but I think your time to join all of us is now. Good luck being queen, lead Albion to greatness, something that I could never do."

"Are you ready?" the old king asked.

Julia nodded, "when will I see you again?"

"I've always been with you this whole time. You were never alone. Where do you think you received your hero qualities? Whenever you need help, just trust in yourself. You can do it. Now go, and lead our kingdom to greatness."

O-o

Julia felt herself on a very comfortable bed. She tried to shift positions to relieve the crick in her neck, but a sharp pain shot through her and she decided not to try that again. She opened her eyes to discover that she was in an unfamiliar room. It was light out, for she could see light streaming through the drapes. _How long have I been asleep? Where is everyone?_ She wondered.

She turned her head to find Ben sitting in a chair by her bedside, snoring softly. He had a few new scratches on his face from the revolution, but the only thing that she really noticed were the dark circles around his eyes. "Ben?" she croaked out, gently shaking his knee.

He jerked awake. He looked around wildly for a few moments before looking down at Julia. His face broke into a wide smile and tears began to shine in his eyes. "Julia! Oh thank God you're awake. We were starting to worry that you were going to leave me—us!" Ben corrected himself quickly, gripping her hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay I guess; how long have I been out?" Julia asked.

"A few days. After you left, Page and I continued to fight the guards. We didn't know what happened to you and Walter. We finally decided to go and find you two, and when we did, we found you lying on the floor in your own blood and Walter trying to save you. Page I guess is an expert medic, because she got right down to business, no panicking at all, she was just really calm about the whole thing. Meanwhile Walter was blubbering about how you had stabbed Logan and he must have stabbed you during the process.

"When Page declared that the stab wasn't fatal, Walter finally calmed down enough to tell us the whole story while the rest of the leaders showed up to check up on how everything was going. Logan's guards surrendered as soon as they saw Logan jump through the window. But then that was it, the revolution was over," Ben finished and sat in silence for a few moments. "We were so close to losing you. I didn't know what I would do if you did die that night." He looked down at their intertwined hands.

Julia reached over and tilted his face up so he was looking into her eyes, "but I'm not. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere." She pulled his face to her and kissed him lightly on his rough lips. "Besides," she whispered, "now we're even."

Ben pulled back quickly, "What?"

"Aurora! Now you know what it feels like to almost lose someone you love!" Julia pouted. Her face broke into a grin, "now kiss me ya goon!"

"I will happily oblige my queen," Ben grinned mischievously. And kiss they did.


	21. End!

**I do not own Fable**

"You ready?" Ben asked, looking down into Julia's eyes.

"No, I'm not. What if I mess up? What if I'm not good enough? What if-" Julia began, only to have Ben cut her off with a swift kiss.

"You are going to be the best queen of all. And I'm going to be right by your side the whole time," Ben reassured her. He reached over and smoothed her hair down, "we wouldn't want that crown to fall off your head now would we my queen?"

"Will you really stay with me?" Julia asked, looking up at him with a serious expression.

"Julia, I will stay with you until the end of time if you wanted me to." He paused, "no actually, even if you didn't want me around forever I would still stick around, how does that sound?"

Julia smiled, "pretty good actually."

"But I would like my commitment to be down on paper. What about you?"

Julia's eyes grew almost as wide as her smile, "you mean as in marriage?"

"If you'll have me." Ben almost fell back as Julia leapt into his arms and kissed him harder than she ever had before. He spun her around and when he finally set her down, he said, "I'll take that as a yes?"

"A thousand times yes!"

"Alright! But first, we have a coronation to attend."

And they took a deep breath and moved into the bright lights and trumpet blares, ready for whatever fate had in store for them next.

**And that's it! ****_From Rags to Riches _****is finished! Thank you to all my readers who loved the story! It was super fun to write and I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I loved writing it. I don't know what my next story will be. No sequel for this story is planned, but who knows! It might happen. My next story might be a new ****_Fable _****or it might be something new! We'll see!**

**Lots of Love and keep reading!**


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